Liquid caustic handling equipment



Aug. 23, 1938. L. s. ROSENER 2,127,952

LIQUID CAUSTIC HANDLING EQUIPMENT Filed-June 21, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l FII5 1 F x N Q INVENTOR.

N LPA BY I ATTORNEY.

Aug. 23, 1938. I.. s. ROSENER 2,127,962

I LIQUID CAUSTIC HANDLING EQUIPMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 21, 1937 INVENTOR. Ze/ano .5. 2056/76/- ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 23, 1938 UNITED STATES LIQUID cAUs'ric HANDLING EQUIPMENT Leland S. Rosener, San Francisco, Calif., assignor to Great Western Electra-Chemical Company. a corporation of California Application June 21, 1937, Serial No. 149,446

4 Claims.

This invention relates to an apparatus for pumping out a caustic pot. As is well known, caustic soda and caustic potash, respectively the hydroxide of the alkali metals, sodium and potassium, are concentrated by heating in large iron pots, referred to as caustic pots. In pumping out these pots, when the caustic is sufliciently concentrated, particularly in filling drums from the pots, difficulty is encountered in control and frequent slop-overs and spills occur, presenting an industrial hazard. The present invention provides an apparatus which is simply and readily controlled, one with which a single operator can control the pumping out and drum filling operation without the necessity of operating any valves in a line carrying the hot caustic, or of exposing himself to the caustic.

In pumping out a pot itis desirable to pump from the top of the caustic level in the pot so that the caustic deposited in the containers is as pure as is obtainable. Dirt, scale, rust and other solid impurities, insoluble in the caustic, collect in the bottom of the pot. It is desirable to leave these in the pot so that the caustic removed from the pot is not contaminated and has a high degree of purity. This is accomplished by the apparatus of my invention for it enables caustic to be pumped from the caustic level at all times.

In addition to the foregoing-objects and fea- 30 tures of advantage, the invention includes others which will appear hereinafter, wherein the present preferred form of the apparatus of this invention is disclosed.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part hereof, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, showing the apparatus as positioned in a caustic pot and in its relation to the control equipment.

Figure 2 is an end elevation, showing the arrangement of the pump in the caustic pot.

Figure 3 is another end elevation, taken from the outside end of the equipment.

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view showing control of the apparatus for operation purposes.

In accordance with my invention, I provide a suitable support member, indicated generally at G. This is usually a member fabricated from .heavy pipe and suitable fittings.

end of the support member is positioned a fitting 'l and upon this fitting is mounted a motor such as a variable speed electric motor 8. Opposite to the motor and extending from the fitting 1 is an arm 9 conveniently fashioned from pipe and suitable fittings. Positioned at the end of this arm is centrifugal pump H. A drive shaft extends Adjacent onethrough the arm 9 from the motor 8, although this shaft is not shown in the drawings. The pump has an inlet indicated at l2, and a discharge line indicated by pipe l4, this pipe extending up pipe 9 and along support member 6 to discharge finally into a hopper l6. To ensure free caustic flow a gas burner I5 is supported beneath line l4 to heat this so that the hot concentrated caustic does not solidify in the discharge line.

In accordance with this invention, the support member 5 is so supported that it is possible to utilize the pump to draw from the top of the caustic layer at all times. This is accomplished by providing the presently described connection between the support member 6 and raising and lowering hoist means indicated generally at II. This is suspended from a support l8. The hoist l1 includes a cable l8 passing about a pulley structure indicated at 2| and including a hook 22. A ring 23 is carried upon this hook' and to the ring are attached three chains, 26, 21 and 28. Chains 26 and 28' are attached at spaced points to the support member 6 while chain 21 is at tached to an extension 29 on the support member 6. It is to be noted that extension 29 is at an acute angle to the common plane of arm 9 and member 5.

At that end of member 6 adjacent the pump and motor, a support structure indicated generally at 3| is provided.- This'structureincludes rollers 6| which engage an end 32 of support member 6 on opposite sides thereof and support this end of the member for rotation. At the other end of the member 6 is provided a'roller support structure indicated generally at 33 'so that the support member 6 is supported for rotation at its opposite ends. Structure 33 includes opposite rollers 62 engaging a quadrant 63 on the support member 6. The rollers and quadrant position the support member 6 in the structure 33, the member 6 abutting cross-member 64 in structure 33 so that while member 6 is rotatable in structure 33, member 6 carries structure 33. Structures 3i and 33 are supported upon the furnace structure indicated generally at 65 or upon members associated therewith.

If the raising and lowering means I l is used and if it lowers support member 6 to a position wherein it is supported at its opposite ends for rotation, the arm and the member 6 will be in a horizontal plane, and extension 29 will lie slightly above this plane. This is so because the lengths of chains 26, 21 and 28 and their positions are so adjusted that this occurs. Thereafter, the

support member 5 being supported for rotation at opposite ends, further lowering of the raising and lowering means results in a gradual restrained rotation of the support member and a gradual movement of the pump down through the caustic pot 35. In operation, therefore, an operator stationed in a control booth indicated generally by numeral 4| has merely to manipulate a control device indicated at 42 to control the vertical position of the raising and lowering means, control device 42 being connected by line 44 to hoist ll. This is eifective to swing the pump through the caustic pot, as has been previously explained.

Motor 8 is connected by line 66 to a device 43 which enables the motor speed to be varied. Since the pump II is of a centrifugal type, it has the inherent characteristic of having a critical speed below which it will not force hot viscous caustic out through line I 4. Discharge into the hopper Hi from pipe I4 is thus readily controlled, by varying the speed of the motor. The operator does not have to manipulate any valves or be near the hot caustic because he can observe everything which transpires through window 45, in his control cab.

The hopper I6 is carried upon and supported by a yoke structure indicated at 41, this structure being supported by an arm 48. vThis arm is pivotally mounted as at 49 on structure 33. A piston operated structure, indicated at 5|, carried by structure 33, serves toraise and lower the hopper so that its discharge end 52 can be inserted and withdrawn from the opening in a container indicated at 53. Raisingand lowering movement of arm 48 by the piston structure 5|, whereby the hopper I5 is raised and lowered, is controlled by the operator. Device 58, at the operator's station, is connected by line 59 to the piston structure 5|. The exact position of the discharge end of the hopper and its insertion into a container is controlled by the operator in the control cab, a suitable rod 54 being projected through the cab to permit the operator to push the hopper end over opening in the container whereupon the hopper is lowered. The containers 53 are carried upon a movable railway indicated at 55. This is preferably electrically driven and is remotely controlled, the operator having a contrql 56 in the control cab connected by line 51 to'motor 58 on car 55. This enables him to readily run the railroad back and forth along the track indicated at 5'l so that as the containera are filled the container-carrying. truck can be advanced and this without any danger to the operator.

From the foregoing I believe it to be apparent that I have provided a very desirable type of apparatus which enables highly corrosive liquids such as caustic to be readily handled, packed and shipped without an operator having to come in contact with or being subject to the hazard industrially of the hot caustic.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for pumping out a caustic pot comprising a horizontal support member, means supporting said member for rotational movement in a fixed position about an axis substantially fixed with respect to said pot, an arm on said member adapted to extend and depend into said pot whereby said arm swings through said pot from the top to the bottom thereof on rotational movement of said member about said axis, means for raising and lowering said support member from'and into said supporting means in a generally horizontal position and with said arm in a generally horizontal position, said raising and lowering means including a connection with said member to restrain rotational movement of said member to a desired extent only when said member is supported by said support means, a pump carried adjacent the extending end of said arm, and means for rotating said pump to remove the contents of said pot.

2. An apparatus for pumping out a caustic pot comprising a horizontal support member, means supporting said member for rotational movement in a fixed position about an axis substantially fixed with respect to said pot, an arm on said member adapted to extend and depend into said pot whereby said arm swings through said pot from the top to the bottom thereof on rotational movement of said member about said axis, an extension on said support member and extending therefrom in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of said arm and said member, raising and lowering means engaged with said member and said extension to raise and lower said member and to rotate said member in said support means to a desired extent to control the elevation of the extending arm and in said pot, a. pump carried adjacent the extending end of said arm, and means for rotating said pump to remove the contents of said pot.

3. An apparatus for pumping a caustic pot comprising a pump, an arm for supporting said pump, a support for the arm at a right angle thereto, means supporting said support'for rotation about an axis adjacent an edge of said pot, hoist means, connecting means extending between the hoist means and said support for use in raising and lowering said support, and another connecting means extending between the hoist and a connection to the support spaced therefrom and lying substantially in the plane of said arm.

4. An apparatus for fillingwessels with a dangerous commodity as hot caustic comprising a centrifugal pump, means positioning said pump in a vessel to be pumped, a variable speed prime mover for driving said pump at selected speeds to eflfect delivery and non-delivery from said pump, control means at an operator's station for varying said prime mover speed, a glass shield for the operator at the operator's station, a carrier vehicle movable past said operators station and carrying aplurality of vessels to be filled with said commodity in view of an operator behind said shield, means at said station for controlling movement of said vehicle, means for receiving the pump discharge and for directing said discharge into a vessel to be filled including a discharge spout insertable into a filling opening in said vessel, means for raising and lowering said spout from and into a vessel, control means for said spout raising and lowering means at said 'operators station, and an operator operated means for positioning said spout accurately above the filling opening in a desired vessel carried past said spout by said vehicle.

LELAND S. ROSENER. 

